Home Malware Programs Browser Hijackers Searchanonymo.com

Searchanonymo.com

Posted: March 30, 2017

Threat Metric

Ranking: 7,755
Threat Level: 5/10
Infected PCs: 4,841
First Seen: March 30, 2017
Last Seen: October 17, 2023
OS(es) Affected: Windows


Search Anonymo is a Potentially Unwanted Program (PUP) that claims to provide users with the ability to search the Web without revealing their search queries and browsing habits to advertisers and marketing companies. The extension also notes that users will not be required to register a profile, use suspicious software, or perform any actions that they might find annoying or suspicious. The only noticeable change that the installation of Search Anonymo brings is that the user's default search provider will be changed to a page linked to Search Anonymo that will then redirect all search queries to the Yahoo Search. While this change might not be found annoying by some users, those who are used to using the services of Bing or Google might not be satisfied with the sudden introduction of the Yahoo Search as their default search aggregator.

Although Search Anonymo is featured in the official add-on repositories of Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox, some users might end up installing it without going there. This is because Search Anonymo might be distributed via software bundling – a method that may be used by the publishers of freeware programs to monetize them. This way, users who opt to download a freeware application and install it might see an offer to install various 3rd-party utilities such as Search Anonymo. Although the installation of Search Anonymo is optional, some users might be interested in its features, or they may agree to add this extension to their Web browser accidentally.

If you have Search Anonymo installed and you don't believe that it enhances your online privacy, then you should consider uninstalling this software. Since Search Anonymo is not unsafe and it will not try to preserve its files, the users can remove it from their Web browser's add-on manager manually. However, if you are not a fan of manual removal, then you'll be happy to hear that a reputable and up-to-date anti-malware utility can help you remove PUPs like Search Anonymo from your computer.

Technical Details

Registry Modifications

The following newly produced Registry Values are:

File name without pathhttp_www.searchanonymo.com_0.localstoragehttp_www.searchanonymo.com_0.localstorage-journal

Additional Information

The following URL's were detected:
feed.anonymosearch.com/?qsearchanonymo.com
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